Save the Environment with Steel Buildings

Buildings made from steel have many advantages over other common building materials such as wood. Steel is stronger than other building materials with a superb strength-to-weight ratio. Steel does not burn or get distorted like wood can and steel is not affected by dry rot or termites. Steel buildings are more likely to last longer than buildings made from other materials. Here are some advantages of using steel in building construction:

Recyclable

Steel is most recycled material on the planet. Over 650 million metric tons of steel is recycled each year. This is more than all other recycled materials in total. When recycled, steel does not lose its strength or integrity. Recycled steel maintains its useful properties without a reduction in quality. Because steel can be recycled without imitation, this makes steel a sustainable building material.

For every 1,000 pounds of recycled steel that is made this save 1,333 pounds of coal, 2,500 pounds of iron ore, and 208 pounds of limestone. Over the past century, more than 22 billion tons of steel was recycled.

Less Carbon Emission

The recycling process for steel uses an electric arc furnace (EAF). When compared to the tradition blast furnace process for making steel the EAF method uses 50 times less coal and 12.5 times less limestone. Since the 1960s, steel production has continued to reduce carbon emissions through improved technology by as much as 60%. Since the 1990s, the energy needed for steel production has been reduced by one-third. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that the steel industry reduced carbon emissions by 47%. This was the largest reduction of overall emissions for any major industry.

Useful By-Products

Of the raw materials used to make steel, 98% create useful by-products, such as slag. Slag is an ingredient used for cement that helps hold cement together.

Saves Water

Steel production cleans the water used in the process. Over 95% of the water that is used for steel production is recycled and returned with fewer impurities than the water had when it came from the source.

Metallurgical Property of Steel

The metallurgical property of steel allows it to be continuously recycled with no degradation in quality or performance. It can continually be used to make new products over and over. The recycling process purifies the steel so it can be used again and again.

Metal Buildings Are Environment Friendly

The strength and long-lasting durable nature of steel buildings make it the perfect choice to help conserve resources. Steel building kits are prefabricated, which reduces materials waste, lowers transportation costs, and makes construction and assembly easier on the job site.

Customized components can be used to give a metal building a nice aesthetic appeal. Having flexibility in the design encourages energy-efficiency efforts such as using proper insulation, solar panels, and natural lighting to reduce energy costs. Steel buildings require minimal maintenance. Once the steel building has served its purpose, it can easily be deconstructed, and the parts used for recycling.

The steel industry continues to improve its production methods with new research into innovative technology. Using environment friendly building materials, such as steel, reduces the negative impacts on the Earth such as deforestation to harvest wood. The massive interest in going green to reduce the harmful causes of climate change is impacting all industry sectors. The steel industry is leading the way with responsible environmental efforts that also create financial rewards for the metal building owners.

Steel buildings have short construction times, lower maintenance costs, better operating efficiency, and reduced energy usage, which results in savings. This makes steel the best green choice for building materials.

The steel industry is constantly improving its environmental efforts in terms of steel production, transportation, and the methods used for the construction of prefabricated steel buildings. Building materials that are eco-friendly, such as steel, are the best hope for a strong sustainable future. Focusing on environmental efforts is necessary for the benefits to society. Using recycled steel for building construction makes perfect sense.

Going green is not always expensive. Steel buildings are the environment friendly solution that also makes sound financial sense. Steel buildings are economical and easy to purchase through financing and rent-to-own options.